Friction brake



Aug. 29, 1933.

W. A. BLUME FRICTION BRAKE Filed May 23, 1931 2 Sheecs-SheeI Aug- 29,1933. w. A. BLUME 1,924,345

FRICTION BRAKE Filed May 25, 1951 2 Sheets-Shef. 2

@f Wwwg Patented Aug. 29, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AmericanBrakeblok Corporation, New York,

N. Y., a corporation of New York Application May 23, 1931. Serial No.539,531

3 Claims.

other employees of railroads.

It has been customary heretofore to provide rail cars with solid woodblocks which are pivotally suspended froml the car and operated by leverdevices to frictionally engage the wheels of the car. My invention hasfor its object to provide a support of novel and simple constructionwhich can be pivotally mounted on the car and operated by the same meansheretofore employed and having a brake block detachably mounted thereonfor engagement with the wheels.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating selected embodiments of theinvention,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing theinvention with the operating leverbroken away and in section.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation.

Fig. 3 shows another embodiment of the inr vention.

b Fliig. 4 shows a block with a different kind of Referring to thedrawings, 5 is a hanger which constitutes the support for the brakeblock 6. The hanger is of skeleton form and it may be a casting or theparts may be fabricated separately and secured together in a suitablemanner. I have chosen to illustrate' the hanger in the form of a castingwhich has two side plates 7, 7 connected at the top by a bushing 8, atthe front by a plate 9 and at the back by a plate 10. The front platehas an opening 11 therein to receive the attaching lug 12 of the block 6and the block is secured in place against the front plate 9 and on thehanger by a key 13 which passes through a keyway in the attaching lugand bears against the back of the front plate 9. The brake operatingmechanism comprises a rod 14 which is pivotally engaged at 15 with aconnector plate 16 and the latter is rigidly fastened to the back plate10 by bolts 1'7. The skeleton hanger support is strong and substantialbut comparatively light in weight. It is adapted to be pivotally mountedupon the frame or other part of the car and to hang downwardly adjacentthe wheel tread. The block 6 is made with a concave face 6 to contactwitnthe tread of the wheel and with a flat back face 6" to contact withthe fiat front face of the front plate 9 on the hanger support. Anysuitable block may be used in connection with the hanger sup- (Cl.18S-53) port but I prefer to use a block having a composition body 18lprovided with a reenforced back 19. This back may be made of wire mesh,as shown, or it may be a metal plate, a metal shell or a fibre back. Theattaching lug 12 is preferably made in the form of a metal strap havingends 12' embedded in the body beneath the reenforced back. The block isheld flatly and snugly against the front plate 9 and is locked in thisposition securely by the key 13 which is preferably made in the form ofa wedge and is driven through the keyway in the attaching lug whilebearing against the front plate. The hanger support has an opening atthe back thereof and above the connector plate., and,4 at its bottombelow the connector plate, which permits access to the inside of theskeleton hanger support for inserting and removing the key. I may makethe hanger support as shown in Fig. 3 with a curved face 20 to receive ablock 21 having a curved back and I may provide the block with twoattaching lugs 22 which pass through' separate openings 23 in frontplates 24 of the hanger to receive the separate keys 25. I have shownthe block 21 provided with a shell back 26. I may make the block with aplate back 27 having an integral attaching lug 28 as shown in Fig. 4 andthis back may be applied to a block which is flat or which is arcuate atthe back.

I have shown the invention in a simple embodiment which" I believe to bedesirable and satisfactory for the purpose because of its strong,substantial and convenient but light construction which especiallyadapts it for rail cars, but I do not limit the invention to theparticular form, construction and arrangement of parts shown anddescribed but reserve the right to make allsuch changes therein as maybe necessary or 9 desirable for different adaptations of the inventionwithin the scope of the following claims:

I claim:

1. 'Ihe combination of a brakeblock support for a rail car comprising askeleton hanger having a pivot bushing at its upper end and a frontplate provided with an opening, a brake block having an attaching lugarranged in said opening, and a key within the hanger engaging saidattaching lug and the back of the frontplate to secure the block snuglyon the hanger and against the front plate.

2. The combination of a brake block support for a rail car comprising ahollow hanger having a pivot bushing at its upper end and a front platehaving an opening therein, a brake block an attaching lug, of a supportfor the block comprising a hanger having a pair of spaced parallel sideplates, an integral bushing connecting said plates at the upper portionsthereof, an integral front plate between the side plates to form abearing for the block, an integral back plate connecting the side platesto receive the brake operating devices, said front plate having anopening therein to receive the attaching lug, and a key engaged with theattaching lug and the back of the front plate to secure the shoe on thehanger, said hanger being open at the back between the side plates andabove the back plate and also being open at the bottom between saidplates to permit access to the interior of the hanger for inserting andremoving the key.

WILLIAM A. BLUME.

